Dr Esther Hobson MA BMBCh MRCP

Research Interests

My main interest is looking at ways to improve the clinical care we deliver to patients and their families with chronic neurological conditions. I use techniques such as qualitative methods, clinical trials and user-centred design to develop and test innovative services (such as digitally enabled care), working with a team of clinical researchers headed by Professor Chris McDermott and the MND care and research centre.

Current Projects

I was lucky enough to be awarded a National Institute for Health Research funded doctoral fellowship. This enabled me to work together with the clinical team at SITraN and Sheffield School of Health and Related Research to develop and test a handheld device that communicates with their MND care team.

Since then I have been working as an NIHR clinical lecturer using the learning from this fellowship to develop digital healthcare for a wider range or neurological conditions.

I co-lead an NIHR Research for Patient Benefit study aimed at developing evidenced based tools to help staff help their patients with motor neurone disease get the most out of non-invasive ventilation.

My other interests are improving the way in which we manage other symptoms of motor neurone disease and deliver education and information to people living with and caring for people with neurological diseases. I was involved with the development of the award winning website www.mytubemymnd.org.uk which translates evidence from a prospective study of gastrostomy feeding, led by SITraN, into information designed for patients and carers to help support them thinking about and using gastrostomy feeding.

Biography

I undertook my pre-clinical medical training at St Catherine’s College, Cambridge University and achieved a first class degree in Experimental Psychology in 2003. I moved to Green College, Oxford University where I graduated from my clinical medical training with a Proxime Accessit award in 2006 whilst spending much of my time coxing the winning 2005 lightweight mens’ boatrace crew. I undertook my junior doctor training in Oxfordshire and South Yorkshire before becoming a neurology registrar at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in 2010. I entered the NIHR academic training programme, completing a PhD between 2014 and 2018 before becoming a clinical lecturer.

Outside of medicine I enjoy mountain biking and exploring the beautiful outdoors around Sheffield.

Awards

National Institute for Health Academic Clinical Fellowship, University of Sheffield, 2012-2014

National Institute for Health Doctoral Research Fellowship, University of Sheffield 2014-2017

National Institute for Health Clinical Lecturer in Neurology, University of Sheffield 2018-present

Teaching Interests

I have been module lead for the Neuro-inflammation module on the MSc course in Clinical Neurology at the University of Sheffield since it’s inception in 2014. I am module lead for the neurology module speech and language therapists at the University of Sheffield and co-lead for the phase 3a undergraduate neurology medical training. I’m interested in improving teaching methods and developing transferrable skills in research.